Custom hubs

[DustinSchaap]

Now this is a brilliant idea, do you have any sketches done yet? Let us know more about your project, I've been hoping to see 32hole hubs for some time now!

[kerosian]

I have some sketches, but I don't trust computers, all my blueprints are on paper. I've wondered why we hadn't gone 32hole for some time now, and it isn't because we put too much stress on trials rims! They use 1 wheel too! I'll be puting a Meta or Echo rim on it, depending on which I get first.

[DustinSchaap]

I think it's just because we use the old system, bike trials used to be 36h as well. How much does an ISIS axle cost? So the complete package, I might know someone who would be interested in making a hub too

[oddsends]

Originally Posted by kerosian

Trials, it'll cost me like >50 bucks to make, so why the hell not?

I didn't say you shouldn't

If you are planning to do this much work I can't help but wonder why you wouldn't also go and find Rim-blanks and make a wheel-set with a ridiculously large number of spokes instead of making one with less spokes than the typical trials wheel set. It sounds like your intent is to build a beefy hub that you can beat the snot out of.

[oddsends]

Originally Posted by kerosian

I have some sketches, but I don't trust computers, all my blueprints are on paper.

Huh? Backups are your friend if you are worried about loosing data. And if you build the entire thing in software it is very easy to check for physical conflicts. And I though you were sane, unlike the rest of the people here.

@Dustin: Why are bike trials wheel-sets no longer 36 spoke if that's what they used to be?

[Borgschulze]

Originally Posted by oddsends

Why are bike trials wheel-sets no longer 36 spoke if that's what they used to be?

Weight.

With only 32 spokes, you can drill bigger holes in your rim.

It's also easier to true a rim with less spokes.

A 36 spoke wheel is not noticeably stronger than a 32 as far as failure is concerned.

[kerosian]

Originally Posted by DustinSchaap

I think it's just because we use the old system, bike trials used to be 36h as well. How much does an ISIS axle cost? So the complete package, I might know someone who would be interested in making a hub too

A decent ISIS axle is like $25, I have a hook-up so I think I can get some free ones from defective BBs

[oddsends]

Originally Posted by Borgschulze

With only 32 spokes, you can drill bigger holes in your rim.

That makes sense if you are trying to minimize the number of holes you have to drill and maximize material removal.

Originally Posted by Borgschulze

It's also easier to true a rim with less spokes.

No, it doesn't; it makes it less tedious to true a wheel with less spokes. You can remove smaller bends without a mallet if you have more points at which you can true a wheel.

Originally Posted by Borgschulze

A 36 spoke wheel is not noticeably stronger than a 32 as far as failure is concerned.

Would you say a 32 spoke wheel is not noticeably stronger than a 28 as far as failure is concerned? (you get where I am going with this)

[Borgschulze]

Originally Posted by oddsends

No, it doesn't; it makes it less tedious to true a wheel with less spokes. You can remove smaller bends without a mallet if you have more points at which you can true a wheel.

Yeah, this is true, I used the wrong word.

Originally Posted by oddsends

Would you say a 32 spoke wheel is not noticeably stronger than a 28 as far as failure is concerned? (you get where I am going with this)

Well... yes... a 28 spoke wheel isn't noticeably weaker than a 32... but you have to know where to stop with this. Also again with the drilling... too much distance between the spokes and you run into not being able to reduce the weight as much because of where the spokes are.

Monty has a 28 Spoke front wheel on their new Kamel bike. The wheelset is touted as being the lightest wheelset for 20" bike trials. But that doesn't matter, bike trials riders land on the back wheel anyways.

[gerblefranklin]

In defense of Kerosian, hand-sketching of blueprints is something I've mentioned to a number of shops during job applications, and many of the owners have been impressed by the idea that anyone our age has the patience to not use a computer. Also, sketches aren't really that important on something like a hub where the designer is also the fabricator. If he were working with cnc, of course the story would be different.

That said, CAD is pretty sweet. I designed a mechanical skeleton clock last summer from scratch, and at the start I had to decide between solidworks (which I hardly knew at the time) and hand drawing, which I was pretty decent at. I chose CAD, and it was slow at first, but i'm so glad I did.Once you get into several layers of sub-assemblies, hand drafting just gets painfully slow.

[kerosian]

Yay! someone defends my quirky style! The only reason I'm really like that is that my teacher is very old-school, he has done everything without a computer because he refuses to work with things that need to be treated like toddlers in order to work. Once you're used to old ways, it's easier just to do them by hand and worry about computer work later.

[kerosian]

Update: I have talked with the resident machine shop and I can get started on the prototype January 8, I have my final sketches done and have two ISIS axels on my desk. All I need to do is decide what trials rim I want to use it with! It'll cost me approx. $50 USD to make one, which isn't bad at all.
PS: At this very same machine shop I can get a titanium frame made for $100, basically just the cost of materials and gas!

[gerblefranklin]

kerosian, as you get farther into metalwork, you'll quickly find you can make parts custom for far less money than the market price of them. Soon though, you'll notice you don't have time to make all those parts, and people will want to take advantage of you for those "low" prices. Want to start a pool on how many people ask you to make them a hub or ti frame after yout ell them the material costs?

[zfreak220]

$100 for a Ti frame?

that is freaking cheap!

can't wait to see this truly custom uni.

[Sponge]

If you're feeling adventurous, go nick a titanium ISIS spindle off a BB.

32H opens up a whole new world of rims... e.g. Echo, new school Monty, MAGNESIUM rims (i'm trying to get that company to make mag rims in 36h), square-punched hole Spanish rims, basically a lot more options

joe has already experimented with a new wheelbuild... he has put a 32h Try-All Mirror-black rim onto a 36h light hub. This is proven to work fine in biketrials... 32h rims on 36h hubs... all you do is miss out 2 spoke holes on each flange. People do this all the time with 32h rims on 36h Profile and Chris King cassette rear hubs on their mod trials bikes. Nothing wrong with it.

But yeah... 32h hubs would be a nice thing.